Finding Peace through Grace - Hebrews 12:14-29

We’re entering the final words – the final message – of our study through Hebrews. Chapters 3-12:13 built a phenomenal argument for Jesus’ identity. The author covered every aspect as he taught us that Jesus was the fulfillment of the promised Messiah. I encourage you to read Hebrews 12:14-29 before continuing with this section.

Click picture for a printable handout for this section

Don’t we all long for a world of peace? Wouldn’t life be so much simpler without war, discontent, and violence? Yet, they are an inevitable and constant part of our world.

Despite their inevitability, God says “Pursue peace with everyone, and holiness – without it no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14). Despite our culture of conflict, God tells us to pursue peace. He doesn’t let us off the hook. He calls us to pursue peace with everyone – an outward attempt that strives to bring peace to all of our relationships. He calls us to holiness – an upward attempt that strives to bring peace to our relationship with God.

Peace is hard sometimes but probably not as hard as we try to make it. We find peace with God and others through grace. We accept God’s grace to find peace with God; we extend God’s grace to find peace with others. That’s it. It’s a simple concept but one that’s hard to live out in the real world.

Accept God’s grace. Let me emphasize this point for a second. We don’t earn God’s grace. We don’t buy God’s grace. We don’t even have to wait for it. He’s given it to every single last one of us. It’s poured out and waiting for you to receive it. The only way we can fall short of the grace of God is to not accept it.

What might keep us from accepting God’s grace?

Root of Bitterness (12:15)
The mention of a root of bitterness ties back to Deuteronomy 29:16-21, specifically verse 18. “Be sure there is no man, woman, clan, or tribe among you today whose heart turns away from the Lord our God to go and worship the gods of those nations. Be sure there is no root among you bearing poisonous and bitter fruit” (Deuteronomy 29:18). In the midst of an admonition against idolatry, God commands the people to watch out for and avoid the growth of poisonous and bitter fruit. Note that the problem isn’t the idolatry. Seeking after false gods is the effect of a worse problem – a heart that has turned away from God due to the growth of a root of bitterness.

If we allow bitterness – especially bitterness toward God – to take root and grow in our life then we will soon replace the one true God with false idols within the sanctuary of our hearts. We will no longer be accepting God’s grace as we turn away from Him and turn toward the impotent, insatiable idols of this world.

Immorality and Irreverence (12:16-17)
These verses tie back to Genesis 25:29-34 and the story of Esau who sold his birthright for a bowl of stew. Think about that – Esau’s birthright wasn’t only the property and riches he might inherit from his father, Isaac. Esau’s birthright was the promises made by Holy, Eternal God to Abraham who passed it down to Isaac. God spoke to Isaac, “I will confirm the oath that I swore to your Father Abraham. I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of the sky, I will give your offspring all these lands, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed by your offspring” (Genesis 26:3-4). We studied the promises in more detail in an earlier section.

Similar to our previous inhibition to accepting God’s grace, Esau’s story is an effect rather than a cause. Esau sold his God-given birthright for a bowl of stew but the greater problem was the heart within the man that led him to do such a thing. Esau was an immoral, irreverent man. He didn’t care about what was important – he held nothing as sacred or holy. We don’t see sexual immorality in the Genesis story but the author of Hebrews describes him as such. Immorality exemplifies Esau’s corrupt heart because sexual sin devalues what God has created as holy and set apart unto only one spouse. God chose Abraham’s descendants above all other nations of the earth; Esau tossed his inheritance aside like an abandoned wife in exchange for a moment of satisfaction from a bowl of stew. How cheap.

The immoral and irreverent don’t accept God’s grace because they don’t care at all about what God has given them. They take the holy, special gift of God’s promise and toss it aside for a moment of pleasure. They don’t repent because they don’t recognize the significant. They only shed tears because they don’t get what they want, not because they value what they have lost.

Focus on the Physical, not the Spiritual (12:18-27)
Our third inhibition to the acceptance of God’s grace is a focus on the physical, created world instead of the spiritual world of the Creator. The passage ties back to Exodus 19:9-25 and also Deuteronomy 4:11-12; 5:22-26. God called Moses to the top of Mount Sinai in order to give him the words of the law. While he was there, no other person or even an animal could touch the mountain. The consequence if they did was death. Hebrews describes the whole event as “terrifying” (Hebrews 12:21).

The author of Hebrews describes the event in four different ways that tie in with our senses and what is created. When the people came to Mount Sinai, they came…

• To what could be touched (touch)
• To a blazing fire (smell, sight, touch)
• To darkness, gloom, and storm (sight)
• To the blast of a trumpet and the sound of words (heard)

But the author of Hebrews tells us we have not come to Mount Sinai. We have not come to the created, to the law, to the fear and trembling, to the things of this earth. We have come to Mount Zion. The author continues by describing Mount Zion in seven different ways. In Hebrews 12:22-24, we have come…

• To the city of the living God
• To myriads of angels in festive gathering
• To the assembly of the firstborn whose names have been written in heaven
• To God who is the judge of all
• To the spirits of righteous people made perfect
• To Jesus the mediator of a new covenant
• To the sprinkled blood

Let’s compare these two mountains. The author used four descriptions for Mount Sinai and seven for Mount Zion. He has used the comparison of seven and four a few times throughout this book; each time the four shows us some aspect of creation and the earth whereas the seven shows us some aspect of the spiritual and the divine. We see the same thing here. Mount Sinai gave us the message of the earth – the Law. Mount Zion gives us the message of heaven – grace.

Even though the message of Mount Sinai was part of earth and creation, our rejection of it still had eternal consequences. If that’s the case, we can be confident that our rejection of the spiritual message from Mount Zion will have eternal consequences as well.

Those consequences will become apparent at some future date when God will shake things up a little bit. Well, more like a lot, actually. He will “shake not only the earth but also heaven” (Hebrews 12:26). When He shakes things up, the created will no longer stand. Our confidence can’t be in the things of earth, as they will all be gone. At that time, we better cling to the spiritual message of grace from Jesus because it is the only thing that will endure God’s shaking. Grace from Jesus cannot be shaken.

Hold on to Grace (13:28-29)

Let go of bitterness toward God and others.

Value and hold dear what is sacred and holy.

Rely on the spiritual work of the Creator, not on the creation.

Bitterness, irreverence, and the things of this world keep us from accepting God’s grace. They separate us from the relationship He so desperately longs for with us. However, when we overcome them and accept His grace then we finally find a way to live in peace. Without them, our God is a consuming fire because His wrath burns toward anything that separates us from Him.

This verse ties back to Deuteronomy 4:24. Moses lived a life in close communion with God. We’ve discussed it many times throughout this study – here, here, here, and here. However, even Moses messed up and had to face the consequences. His sin kept him from entering the earthly Promised Land. That experience led him to warn the people with a message very applicable to us today. Here’s my modern day paraphrase of Deuteronomy 4:21-24…

You’re about to enter the Promised Land. Not the physical one over in the Middle East but the spiritual one in the presence of Holy God. Don’t forget the covenant that God made with you when He died and resurrected back to life. That death – that covenant – made it possible for you to enter the Promised Land. Don’t go chasing after the immoral and the irreverent. Don’t replace a relationship with Him with impotent idols. Why? “For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God” (Deuteronomy 4:24).

You’re better off to hold on to grace. Only then will you find peace with God.

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By Faith, from the Law to the Promised Land - Hebrews 11:23-40

Creation, Abel, Enoch, and Noah taught us that faith is the reality of our hope even when it is unseen.

Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph taught us faith is the reality of the promise in a future promised land.

In this final section of Hebrews 11, our last group of faith heroes will teach us one more key point about living by faith. For them – and for us today – faith is the reality of our victory that defeats our fears.



Click picture for a printable handout for this section

Faith is the reality of our victory that defeats our fears. All of the people in this section faced some powerful fears – governmental powers, loss of loved ones, slavery, and deadly defeat. They never would have found victory in their own strength and power. But they experienced fullness and abundance of life when they each stepped out in faith thereby conquering their fears and experiencing God’s victory.

By Faith, from the Law to the Promised Land

I encourage you to start by reading Hebrews 11:23-40.

By Faith, Moses (11:23-28)
Moses’ parents – especially his mom – stepped out in amazing faith soon after Moses’ birth. Pharaoh decreed that all baby boys were to be killed but Moses’ mom saved his life. She put him in a basket in the reeds by the Nile River. Pharaoh’s daughter found him there, took him as her own son, and raised him in the Egyptian palace.

• Fear: Moses’ mom feared the loss of her son’s life.
• Victory: She found victory when Pharaoh’s daughter found him in the basket and raised him as her own son.

Moses grew to be a man who lived a life of faith. The opportunities given him as a prince of Egypt were far from what we might call a godly lifestyle. Even in the midst of pleasure and abundance, God called Moses unto Himself and began him on a journey that changed the world.

• Fear: Moses separated from the love of his Egyptian family along with the wealth and luxurious ease of a palace life.
• Victory: He found true riches as “he considered the reproach because of the Messiah to be greater wealth than the treasures of Egyptian, since his attention was on the reward” (Hebrews 11:26). Moses also apparently knew our second key point - faith is the reality of the promise in a future promised land.

After a violent outburst and a poor decision, Moses later faced the wrath of the Pharaoh. In response, he left Egypt and all he had ever known behind.

• Fear: Moses could have feared the anger of the Pharaoh.
• Victory: Instead of fear, he found victory in a new land where he found a wife, a peaceful lifestyle, and eventually a calling from God out of a burning bush. He lived as one "who sees Him who is invisible" (Hebrews 11:27). Moses also knew our second key point - faith is the reality of our hope even when it is unseen.

At God’s calling, Moses returned to Egypt to lead the Israelite people out of slavery. Pharaoh wasn’t too keen on letting his slave labor force leave, however. God sent a series of plagues that eventually persuaded Pharaoh to release his grasp on the slaves. The final plague was a violent attack on the lives of the firstborn sons in each household – Egyptian and Hebrew alike. The death angel passed over all of the homes on which the family had painted the blood of a lamb on the doorpost. That final plague initiated their journey out of slavery and into freedom.

• Fear: Moses and all of the people feared for the lives of their firstborn sons.
• Victory: In the blood of the lamb, the people found freedom from slavery.

By Faith, the Israelites (11:29-30)
Moses led the people away from Egypt with Pharaoh’s reluctant blessing. Pharaoh soon changed his mind, however, and the Israelites found themselves trapped between a raging Red Sea and Pharaoh’s armies. God didn’t view them as trapped; He saw a people about to experience freedom.

• Fear: The people feared they would have to choose between drowning in the sea and allowing their own slaughter at the hands of the army.
• Victory: The people experienced one of the greatest victories ever as God parted the Red Sea allowing them to walk through on dry land. Pharaoh’s army, on the other hand, drowned as walls of water came crashing down on top of them.

Moses didn’t make it to the Promised Land; Joshua instead led the people to the end of their journey. Along the way, they had to defeat the city of Jericho.

• Fear: The people could have feared the people of Jericho and the looming battle for control of the city.
• Victory: Instead, they trusted the words of God who promised them victory over the city through His power rather than the power of their swords.

I’ve written in the past about an interesting correlation between the parting of the Red Sea and the walls of Jericho. The two miracles are powerfully related so I’m not surprised to see them singled out and paired together in this significant historical chapter. Click here to read more.

By Faith, Rahab (11:31)
Joshua sent two spies into Jericho before they crossed the Jordan into the Promised Land. Some of Joshua’s confidence came from their report that the people lived in fear of the Israelites because of the miraculous things God had done for them. Read the article I mentioned in the last paragraph for more. Rahab, however, used her fear to her advantage. She recognized the power of the God of the Israelites; she responded by saving the lives of the spies who in turn saved her and her family.

• Fear: Rahab feared the God of the Israelites.
• Victory: She put her trust in Him rather than the false security of rock walls. She found victory in the salvation of both her physical and spiritual life.

The World was not Worthy of Them(11:32-40)

These verses form one of the most powerful passages in Scripture. Every time I read it, I approach it with a sense of respect and humility. It’s a verbal walk through the cemetery of war heroes who died that we might hear truth and find freedom. It’s a somber moment of reflection at the base of a monument inscribed with the names of those who gave all they had because they chose to live by faith.

The people entered the Promised Land but that didn’t mean life was perfect. Living life by faith – even in the Promised Land – was rough. So I have to ask myself, “Why should I think my life will be any better?”

Living our lives by faith may mean some pretty hard times during our life here on earth. Like the heroes of this chapter, we have to realize the Promised Land of this earth isn’t the end goal. Like them, we have to look “forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. … These all died in faith without having received the promises, but they saw them from a distance, greeted them, and confessed that they were foreigners and temporary residents on the earth” (Hebrews 11:10, 13). Like these heroes, we have to realize faith is living in a different reality where our hope isn’t seen, the promise awaits us in the future, and we have victory over our fears.

“All these were approved through their faith, but they did not receive what was promised.” Each of these men and women still await the promise because “God had provided something better for us, so that they would not made perfect without us” (Hebrews 11:39-40). Here’s the deal, friend… they can’t receive the promise until we have done our part by faith. You and I each have a job to do – a calling to which we need to be faithful. The question then becomes, “Is your name on the list? Are you serving and living by faith? Are you living in a reality where your hope is unseen, your promised reward awaits, and you have victory over your fears?”

Those are important questions to consider because one day we will fully see our hope, God will give us what He has promised, and the victory will be ours. When that day comes, trust me, you’ll want to be a part of it.

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By Faith, from the Flood to the Law - Hebrews 11:8-22

We began a three part study of Hebrews 11 – “The Faith Chapter” – in the last section. In it, we considered the stories of creation, Abel, Enoch, and Noah. The stories all testified to the importance of our first key point… Faith is the reality of our hope even when it’s unseen.

In this section, we’ll study the lives of five more people. Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph all lived in the time period between the flood and the giving of the Law. Even more, these five heroes of the faith teach us our second key point on faith… Faith is the reality of the promise in a future promised land.

I encourage you to start by reading Hebrews 11:8-22.

Click picture for a printable handout for this section

Faith is the Reality of the Promise (11:13-16)

I’ve often wondered about the encounter between God and Abraham that prompted Abraham to live such an outstanding life of faith. Yes, he blew it sometimes, but overall, he was faithful at an incredible level. Regarding that encounter, was it a burning bush like Moses? Or was it a dream like Joseph? Did they wrestle as God did with Jacob? We don’t know the details but something significant must have happened because Abraham’s encounters with God transformed him for life.

The reality of a future city
Regardless of how the encounters between God and Abraham played out, Abraham knew that the promised land for which he waited wasn’t of this world. I believe he could have conquered the land and established a kingdom; we studied that here and here. But, Abraham wasn’t content with a kingdom of this world. He “was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God” (Hebrews 11:10).

The reality of a future homeland
A friend of mine is from Togo, Africa but he lives here in the United States. He may have a place to stay here but Togo is his homeland. Togo is his culture, his heritage, his family, and his language. Our homeland is where we come from. Remember, however, that faith sees things differently. Faith sees with spiritual eyes rather than physical ones; usually, the results are opposite of each other. For us, our homeland is where we come from. When we see with spiritual eyes of faith, however, our homeland is where we’re going. It’s the reality of a promised eternity in heaven. Our future home defines our culture, our heritage, our family, and our language. Think about that. “Those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a homeland” (Hebrews 11:14).

The reality of a future promise
All of these people died without having seen the future promise – not just Abraham, but all of them (Hebrews 11:13). Faith faces death knowing the Promised Land which awaits is our reality. The author of Hebrews has taught us about this promise for several chapters now. We’ve learned the promise is…

• To enter His rest. Even more, it remains open to us even after we've wandered in our desert (4:1).
• For “those who inherit the promises through faith and perseverance” (6:12).
• Confirmed with an oath by an unchangeable God (6:17).
• Passed down through Abraham (7:6).
• That on which Jesus Christ founded and mediated a new covenant (8:6).
• An eternal inheritance made possible by Jesus’ spilled blood and sacrificial death (9:15).
• For those who persevere in doing the will of God until the end (10:36-37).
• Passed down through Isaac and Jacob (11:9).
• Of a city built by God, of a country in heaven (11:10, 13-16).
• Of countless descendants through a sacrificed son (11:17).
• Not yet received by anyone. All recipients await the future inheritance (11:39-40).

Click here to read even more about that foundational promise made to Abraham.

By Faith, from the Flood to the Law

By Faith, Abraham (11:8-10, 17-19)
We’ve already discussed Abraham so much in this section. The section I referenced in the last paragraph goes into even more detail about his faith in the promise. He is the one who “believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness” (Romans 4:3). Let’s consider a few more details here, though.

Because of faith, Abraham was able to go when God said go and wait when God said wait. God told him “Go out from your land… to the land I will show you” (Genesis 12:1). Like I said, that encounter must have been pretty significant because it was enough to prompt Abraham to go. How confusing… difficult… frustrating… it might have been, then, when Abraham got there and God said “Wait.” He didn’t give the Promised Land into Abraham’s hands; he allowed Abraham to die as a foreigner in the land (Genesis 23:4).

Faith helped Abraham to find victory in the hardest test of his life – God’s call to sacrifice the son of promise, Isaac. Again, I don’t know how Abraham knew what he knew, but he had some pretty difficult concepts figured out. In this case, he knew Isaac was the son of promise but he also knew that if God asked him to take Isaac’s life, then God would make a way for the promise to still be fulfilled. He realized, by faith, God had the power to give Isaac back to him again by raising him from the dead.

By Faith, Sarah (11:11-12)
By faith, Sarah conceived and gave birth to Isaac even though she had been barren for decades and was long past the age to bear children. In their story, we see a reminder of our first key point – faith is the reality of our hope even when it is unseen. In a moment of intimacy between Abraham and Sarah – a man almost dead and a barren woman – God took what had been unseen until that moment and created something seen. He created the child of the future promise – Isaac.

By Faith, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph (11:20-22)
Joel Rosenberg is one of my favorite authors. On September 11, 2001 – as Islamic radicals attacked our nation – he was already completing his first fictional novel which included an attack on our nation by Islamic radicals who flew an airplane into a building. He wrote in his subsequent books about America’s invasion of Iraq and the death of PLO Leader Yasser Arafat; in both cases, he predicted the events before they happened. This string of events led people to call him a prophet or a modern-day Nostradamus. In actuality though, Joel’s stories weren’t due to some type of prophetic vision. He looked at the geopolitical state of affairs prophesied by Scripture and compared it to the current geopolitical situation at the turn of the millennium. By faith, Joel knew the end events would occur; all he had to do was analyze what events would be required to bring the world from it’s then current situation to the situation necessary to usher in the end times. We were in point A; what would it take to get to point B? Faith helped him connect the dots.

I tell you this story because Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph’s faith stories are a similar situation. All three of them gave blessings over their children by faith in future events. They knew the words God had spoken and the promises God had made. They lived by faith that those words would come to pass. They were all in their own respective point A and they figured out how to get to point B.

By Faith, for Us

God gave us the stories of these five people to inspire us to live a life by faith as well. Our circumstances may look different but we can still learn from them what it means to live by faith.

By faith, we can go when God says go, even if He wants us to wait once we get there. We want to believe that a call to go somewhere means that grand and glorious work awaits us. Sometimes, however, the grand and glorious outcome isn’t seen on this side of eternity.

By faith, we follow when God calls us out of the place we've been and asks us to live set apart as a stranger in a hostile world. We follow because He's transformed us; we realize our new home is an eternal one in heaven - not that from which we came.

By faith, we find victory in the most difficult of tests. We realize we are totally dependent upon God, muster all of our courage because of His work in us, and struggle through the test. In the end, we look back and realize victory came because of our faith.

By faith, we realize God will make a way to accomplish His plan even when the way seems impossible to us. We don’t have to know all the details; He doesn’t have to follow our logic and work the way we think is right. We can let go of our urge to control and trust Him for the results.

By faith, we recognize God can take what we can’t see and create what we can see. I don’t know how it works – it’s beyond me. But that’s part of living by faith, as well.

By faith, we know the future God has prophesied and discern how we should live until we get there. The Promised Land isn’t here and now; faith realizes it’s then and there. It’s a future reality that will become sight when Christ returns. We’re in our point A; faith guides us until we reach our future point B.

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Certainty of Hope, Part 2 - Hebrews 6:12-20

God calls us to be fully clothed in hope – a possibility only available when we know Him and His Word, allow them to transform our thoughts, and then live out that transformation. This is the plan God left for us. It’s the method He chose for salvation to go to all the world. He chose us to step up into a relationship with Him and then share it with those we know.

That’s where we left off in part one of this section on hope. Today, we’ll consider Hebrews 6:12-20; I encourage you to go ahead and read it. The author of Hebrews offers us an example of someone from the Bible who lived out his hope, the changes in his life because of it, and what it means for us today. Let’s jump in!

The Certainty of Hope, Part 2

Click picture for a printable handout for this section

Imitate Abraham (6:12-15)
Do you remember the story of my Royals’ fan friend from the last section? He attended the home opener covered completely in Royals’ attire; we compared his look to the idea of being completely clothed in hope. My husband is a pretty loyal Royals’ fan in his own right; however, he dresses a lot more conservatively at a game. If he decided he wants everyone to know about his love and dedication for the team, though, he could imitate our friend who goes fully decked out in royal blue and white. Our friend is an example of what it looks like to be a Royals’ fan.

The author of Hebrews gave us an example of hope as well. If we want to know what it looks like to live completely covered in hope, Abraham is the man for us to imitate. He's our example.

When we imitate him, we recognize the whole system hinges on faith. After all, before the Law was given and before Aaron was ordained as high priest, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness” (Romans 10:3, also Genesis 15:6). That’s why we read in Hebrews that Abraham was one “who inherit[ed] the promises through faith” (Hebrews 6:12).

That verse continues by saying Abraham was also one who inherited the promises of hope through perseverance. Permit me a brief summary of Abraham’s life so we might see how his ability to persevere played out. Hebrews 6:14 quotes Genesis 22:17-18, “I will indeed bless you and make your offspring as numerous as the stars of the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your offspring will possess the gates of their enemies. And all the nations of the earth will be blessed by your offspring because you have obeyed My command.” This may sound like a great offer but Abraham's life was a difficult journey before he reached this point of abundant blessing from God.

God called Abraham to separate from so much – his father, his home, his extended family, the desires of the world, the pride of self-sufficiency, and the misplaced hope he put in his son Ishmael. Even all of this wasn’t enough, though. In the hardest test of his life, God asked Abraham to separate from the son of promise, Isaac. God asked Abraham to sacrifice him on an altar.

We may be familiar with this story from Genesis 22. In that moment, God stopped Abraham from killing Isaac. Only then did God make the final oath to confirm the hope and promise. By faith, Abraham persevered through some of the hardest trials God has placed upon any man. His perseverance is our example to imitate.

Abraham’s faith and perseverance realized his hope (6:15-18)
The darkest hour of Abraham’s life led to the fullest realization of his hope. He never would have arrived at that place if he had not persevered by faith. Long before Paul ever wrote it, Abraham knew this to be true – “He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:24).

Hope may be hard to see in that dark hour. As Abraham raised the blade above Isaac’s young body, faith and hope were all that remained for Abraham. He had nothing else to cling to.

But it was in that darkest moment that God provided salvation. It was in that moment that God Himself provided a ram. Only then was Abraham able to declare, “It will be provided on the Lord’s mountain” (Genesis 22:14).

For Abraham, that moment became his hope because he knew he now had the son of promise. He had separated from his own plan for his life and trusted fully in God’s plan. Now, for the rest of his life, every time his eyes rested on Isaac, he knew God had provided an heir through whom the blessing would come. He had hope because he knew that through Isaac the promise would come.

For all of us, that moment foreshadows an even greater hope. Centuries later, on that same mountain, the Lord did provide in a great and powerful way. God sacrificed His only Son, Jesus – Abraham’s descendant through Isaac – to bring salvation and hope to the world.

Abraham’s example is our encouragement (6:18)
Those dark hours thrust into our lives just as they did into Abraham’s. Hope may be hard to find at those times. God only needed to speak once to make His promise true but He offered the promise to Abraham in increasing measure three times – He brought it to a point of spiritual perfection. God didn’t speak once and leave Abraham to figure out the rest on his own. He allowed Abraham to go through some stuff so that God could do the work in him that He needed to do. When that growth process was complete, God sealed those promises with an oath – a final confirmation of His call, promise, and faithfulness to accomplish all that He said. Again, Abraham knew long before Paul that “He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6).

God’s trio of promises followed by an oath of confirmation led to the full realization of Abraham’s hope. They do likewise for us, so that “we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to seize the hope set before us” (Hebrews 6:18).

Seize the hope. Don’t admire it from afar or tiptoe around it. Don’t pick at it in tidbits. Seize it. Grab onto that thing and wrap it around yourself over and over until you have completely covered yourself in the hope that only God offers.

This hope is our anchor (6:19-20)
Do you see that little word “this?” This hope isn’t just any hope. This hope is the one for which Abraham separated himself from all he knew. This hope is the one promised by God and sealed with an oath in which He cannot lie. This hope is the one that brought life to Isaac and through him life to the whole world. This hope is the hope which can completely cover us. This is the hope we have.

This hope is the anchor for our soul. Our soul is the very part of us that is able to connect with God. It is the part that can be taken from eternal darkness and death into eternal light and life. Hope latches on to our soul and says, “You cannot be shaken. You won’t be moved. I will hold you safe and secure while life’s darkest hour tries to buffet and toss you like a stick on a violent sea.”

This hope takes us behind the curtain into the inner sanctuary of the Most Holy Place where Jesus has already gone. This hope takes us into the very presence of God.

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